ERS234 Lecture Notes - Lecture 2: Soil Fertility, Sphagnum, Wildfire Suppression

• School: University of Waterloo
• Department: Environment and Resource Studies
• Course: ERS234
• Professor: Maren Oelbermann

Document Summary

Biome: collection of ecosystems that are similar or related to one another based on the types of plants they support: climate, geology, ecological factors, anthropogenic factors. Factors affecting vegetation distribution: climate change & soil. Amount of solar radiation: major control of climate and forest types. Abundant precipitation: tropical forests: soil fertility influences vegetation patterns. Intensity, frequency, and type of disturbance: influence biome distribution, influence species composition. Anthropogenic disturbance: land clearing, fire suppression, timber harvest, climate change. Distribution of forest biomes: distribution of terrestrial biomes. Species composition and forest structure: germination, reproduction, growth. Solar radiation is a major control on earth"s climate. Tropics vs. subtropics vs. temperate vs. boreal: ability to dry (evaporation) Location with respect to large body of water: coastal areas vs. inland areas, large lakes (i. e. great lakes) Parent material & climate: type of bedrock, high rainfall, freeze-thaw. Degree of soil weathering: nutrient leaching. Young vs. old soil: recent glaciation (young, high leeched (old, alluvial deposits (river delta)